Dual functional electrospun core-shell nanofibers for anti-infective guided bone regeneration membranes

Abstract In clinic infection is the paramount cause for failure of guided bone regeneration (GBR) membranes. Therefore, it is crucial to develop anti-infective GBR membranes for clinical bone repair application. In this research, we successfully prepared electrospun core-shell nanofibers loaded with metronidazole (MNA) and nano-hydroxyapatites (nHA), which could be employed for anti-infective GBR membranes due to the achievement of dual functions with enhanced osteogenesis and slow MNA release. The nanofiber shell was composed of polycaprolactone and nHA, whilst the nanofiber core was gelatin and MNA. The MNA release and cell proliferation experiments showed that compared with directly MNA-loaded nanofibers, the core-shell nanofibers possessed slower MNA release profile, which resulted in the decrease in cytotoxicity of MNA to bone mesenchymal stem cells. The osteogenic measurements demonstrated that the core-shell nanofibers could enhance bone formation. Additionally, the anti-bacterial experiments indicated that the core-shell nanofibers could prevent colonization of anaerobic bacteria. In summary, the results in the present study revealed the potential of the core-shell electrospun nanofibers with dual functions of enhanced osteogenesis and anti-infection for optimal clinical application as GBR membranes.